Carrying and closing device for bags and sacks

ABSTRACT

A carrying and closure device for sizable paper sacks comprises a bar which extends adjacent to the open mouth of the sack over the entire width thereof and consists of a non-elastically flexible material so that said bar forms a carrying handle upon turning down the mouth portion of the sack at least one complete turn around the bar, which handle may be secured in position by bending the corner portions of the folded-down mouth portion including the bar inwardly.

United States Patent Lillkvist [15 3 3,688,973 Sept. 5, 1972 [54] CARRYING AND CLOSING DEVICE FOR BAGS AND SACKS [72] Inventor: Salomo Lillkvist, Pietarsaari, Finland [73] Assignee: 0y Wilh Schauman AB, Pietarsaari, Finland [22] Filed: April 1, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 24,548

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data 2,216,113 10/ 1940 Potdevin et a1 ..229/65 2,093,976 9/1937 Farmer ..229/62 65,176 5/1867 Crowell ..229/65 2,947,464 8/ 1960 Newton ..229/ 5 4 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 13,599 7/ 1933 Australia ..229/65 674,837 4/ 1939 Germany ..229/54 Primary Examiner-Joseph R. Leclair Assistant Examiner-Stephen Marcus Atlomey-Brooks, Haidt & Haffner ABSTRACT A carrying and closure device for sizable paper sacks comprises a bar which extends adjacent to the open mouth of the sack over the entire width thereof and consists of a non-elastically flexible material so that said bar forms a carrying handle upon turning down the mouth portion of the sack at least one complete turn around the bar, which handle may be secured in position by bending the comer portions of the foldeddown mouth portion including the bar inwardly.

2 Claims, 2 Drawing figures CARRYING AND CLOSING DEVICE FOR BAGS AND SACKS Sizable bags, and likewise sacks, may be awkward to lift and to handle because they have quite considerable weight and they are difi'icult to grasp properly. Furthermore, aids are required for the closing of such bags and sacks, such as e.g. a string for typing the mouth, or adhesive strips or staples. The last-mentioned tend in connection with handling and opening to cause scratches or woundson the hands, in addition to which they may get into the contents of the bag or sack, which is usually undesirable eg when foodstuffs are concerned. In ad dition, they produce incipient failures of the bag material, with the result of impaired handling properties.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to accomplish a device which may serve both as a convenient carrying handle and as a closing device, which requires no further aids or implements for use.

In accordance with the present invention, a bar is provided which runs along at or near the mouth of a bag or sack substantially over the entire width of the bag. The bar is preferably affixed to the bag or sack, and the mouth portion of the bag is intended to be folded in order to form a carrying handle. The bar is made of a material such that the material retains its altered shape after deformation, so that the bar serves as a closing device when the corner parts of the folded mouth portion are bent inwardly.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the bar has flat shape and consists of paper, paper board, corrugated board, plastic or other equivalent material. The bar may be made in a known manner. of one or several metal wires or may be metal strip. The bar is suitably attached to the bag or sack preferably at a distance from the open side approximately equalling the width of the bar.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the attached drawing FIG. 1 shows a paper sack provided with a device according to the invention, in flattened condition, while FIG. 2 shows the manner in which the same sack is carried when it has been filled and closed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIG. 1, a paper sack l of conventional type with an open mouth is shown. The sack has been provided at its open side with a strip 2 running parallel to said side. The strip question is made of a flattened tube of paper in several layers, this strip 2 being fixed to the sack 1 by gluing. The distance of the strip 2 from the open mouth of the sack approximately equals the width of the strip 2. Inside the strip 2 there is a metal wire 3 of a length substantially equal to that of the strip but somewhat shorter so that, upon folding of the strip 2, the wire 3 will not project over that end of the strip which is shorter when the strip has been folded. The metal wire 3 is preferentially fixed by gluing, so that it cannot be displaced. As clearly shown in the drawing, the strip 2 is substantially wider than the wire insert 3 shown in dashed lines, so that the wire 3 with its covering strip 2 have a width suitable for comfortable gripping and carrying when the sack is used as described below.

When the sack is used, after filling the sack, the free edge of the sack is folded down over the strip 2 and then it is folded together with this strip at least one more time. In this manner a comparatively thick handle is produced, which affords a good hand grip, as can be .hands. It follows that the sack can be handled with both hands or even carried by two persons with the sack between them. y

In .order to accomplish positive closure, after the folding-down operation both upper corners are bent inwardly as has been shown in FIG. 2, whereby the strip 2, by action of the metal wire 3, remains in its folded form but can be bent up again if desired. This closing principle making use of a metal wire is in itself previously known from small paper bags. It may be appropriate in practice to bend the edge parts in the direction opposite to that shown in FIG. 2. The direction of folding in FIG. 2 is more easily illustrated than the alternative but both possibilities can be easily understood from the showing in the drawing.

The invention is not confined to the embodiment described and shown; it may rather be varied in a number of ways. For instance, the bag or sack may also consist of some material other than paper, such as fabric or plastic, and also the-handle bar itself may consist of another material, such as plastic, paper board orcorrugated board. There may also be more than one metal wire 3, or a metal strip. The main thing is that the bar, on deformation, retains its altered shape and that it can be returned to its previous form.

What is claimed is:

l. A carrying and closing device forsacks and bags of thev type having two elongated side walls each terminating in an unbroken free edge at an open end of the sack, comprising a separately formed bar attached throughout substantially its entire length to one said side wall of the sack, said bar extending parallel to said free edge and spaced from the nearest portion of said edge defined by the side wall to which the bar is attached by a distance substantially equal to the width of said bar, said bar being of substantially flat form and comprising: a cover portion of several layers of a material selected from the group consisting of paper, paper board, corrugated board and plastic sheet; and at least one insert portion of a material selected from the group consisting of metal wire and metal strip, said insert portion lying along and within said cover portion, said cover portion having a width substantially greater than the width of the insert portion, so that upon folding down the open end of the sack around the bar, the bar and the end folded therearound form a carrying handle offering a convenient hand grip, said carrying handle being adapted for securement by bending inwardly corners of the handle including the bar.

2. A carrying and closing device as in claim 1, wherein said cover portion extends beyond both ends of said insert portion. 

1. A carrying and closing device for sacks and bags of the type having two elongated side walls each terminating in an unbroken free edge at an open end of the sack, comprising a separately formed bar attached throughout substantially its entire length to one said side wall of the sack, said bar extending parallel to said free edge and spaced from the nearest portion of said edge defined by the side wall to which the bar is attached by a distance substantially equal to the width of said bar, said bar being of substantially flat form and comprising: a cover portion of several layers of a material selected from the group consisting of paper, paper board, corrugated board and plastic sheet; and at least one insert portion of a material selected from the group consisting of metal wire and metal strip, said insert portion lying along and within said cover portion, said cover portion having a width substantially greater than the width of the insert portion, so that upon folding down the open end of the sack around the bar, the bar and the end folded therearound form a carrying handle offering a convenient hand grip, said carrying handle being adapted for securement by bending inwardly corners of the handle including the bar.
 2. A carrying and closing device as in claim 1, wherein said cover portion extends beyond both ends of said insert portion. 